History

The original hall was a small, corrugated iron shed in the (then) vicarage garden, now St. Andrew’s House. In the mid-1950s, the decision was taken to replace this with a more substantial building, and £7,000 was raised by church members and local residents from various events, street collections and a three-penny-a-week fund. The original 1956 Trust Deed states that the hall is “for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish and in particular for meetings, lectures and classes and for other forms of instruction, recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants.”

1959 procession to the hall opening	Scouts at the hall in the 1960s

The hall was opened in 1959 by the Bishop of Dorchester and we celebrated its 50th anniversary in March 2009. The hall was designed by the architect Thomas Rayson, who also designed a block for Oxford University’s Mansfield College and an extension for Keble College. In 1982 the Parish Hall Management Committee was founded, supported by a group of Trustees. The hall has had various names during its history: St. Andrew’s Parish Hall, Headington Parish Hall and now Old Headington Village Hall. The hall is a registered charity.